Why It’s the Right Time to Switch Your Traditional Thermostat to a Smart Thermostat?

Smart thermostats are the buzz these days. Millions of people have upgraded from the traditional and non-connected thermostats to the newer and better smart thermostats.

A smart thermostat uses technology that lets you control the climate in your home remotely using a mobile app on your smartphone or tablet. In this article, we take a look at the benefits of smart thermostats compared to Z-Wave thermostats, Programmable thermostats, and old traditional thermostats.

Traditional Thermostat VS Smart Thermostat

Traditional thermostats allow you to adjust the temperature levels in your house. The thermostat is just a control panel for the HVAC system. On the other hand, smart thermostats allow you to set the temperature levels and have the device alter them depending on the time of day.

Programmable thermostats

This type of thermostats are designed to help people control the temperature levels of their homes according to the weather patterns. Unfortunately, they are very complex and challenging to use that most of the people who own them don’t use them.

Z-wave thermostats

Z-waves are non-programmable by themselves. This makes them cumbersome to use. Smart thermostats have been created in such a way that they can program themselves. Your work is more comfortable and your home is more comfortable.

Smart Thermostats

The new generation of smart, connected thermostats has changed the traditional functioning of thermostats. Their energy saving potential is great and reliable. Smart thermostats were pioneered by the Nest Learning Thermostat manufactured by Nest.

Honeywell, a thermostat business, also invented smart thermostats that are similar to the Nest thermostat.

If you have a traditional mechanical thermostat, your heating system is doing a lot of work that is unnecessary. This thermostat maintains your home at the same temperature levels throughout the day, even when there’s no one in the house.

It also keeps the temperature levels up at night, even though everyone may just be as cozy with extra blankets and lowered temperature levels.

Benefits of the Smart Thermostats

Features and functionality

If you switched off the thermostat at such times, you would save more energy and reduce the heating bills. Smart thermostats are termed as ‘smart’ because they learn from your routine, allow you to remotely control the climate in your house, display how much energy has been consumed.

Also they can adjust themselves depending on the environmental conditions.

Voice Command and Smart Controlling

For instance, you can tell your smart thermostat to shut down after you’ve left your house to run some errands, and then turn on in just sufficient time to make the home comfortable, by the time you return.

A lot of smart thermostats display the time taken to make the changes you request. This way, you can monitor the effectiveness of your HVAC system. It also discourages you from turning your thermostat down to the lowest point to try to cool your house down faster (this never works).

Furthermore, you can control most of the smart thermostats using your smartphone or a website app. You will be able to see the number of costs you’re incurring due to your HVAC system. You can then change the programming to lower the current values and view the turnouts immediately. Smart thermostats save a lot of energy.

Types of Smart Thermostats

Smart Thermostats are usually of 2 basic types. The first type is those that learn automatically from your routine and make the necessary adjustments. As a result, you do not have to program them.

The second type is those that give internet connectivity to allow you to monitor and schedule them remotely. The best smart thermostats in the market possess the qualities of both categories.

Ecobee4

The ecobee4 thermostat gives you a comfortable climate in your home. A lot of thermostats may only control the heat in one room, which makes the other places in the home uncomfortable. The ecobee4 has an inbuilt sensor that allows it to monitor hot or cold places.

Smart Sense

When you put the sensors in the rooms that matter, the thermostat can read the temperature levels and sense if someone is in a room. As a result, this device gives you a comfortable climate in your favorite room.

Alexa Compatible

The ecobee4 smart thermostat has an inbuilt Amazon Alexa Voice Service. The device can do the numerous skills that are programmed into the Alexa. You just ask, and the blue light pipe at the top part of the ecobee4 blinks in response. The device can also hear you when you’re at the farthest end of the room.

The Alexa feature allows you to complete your day to day activities using a simple command. Let’s say you’re hosting a party with friends and family. All you need to do is to request your ecobee4 to guide you in the preparations, like playing the right music and giving you recipes.

The ecobee4 thermostat has inbuilt microphones with long-distance speech recognition and a speaker as well, programmed for quality voice and complete sound. You can be able to hear it and request something from the farthest end of the room.

Control Remotely

This device can keep up with you. If you’re near the thermostat, you can adjust the temperature and comfort efficiently using the ecobee phone app on your smartphone or tablet.

If you’ve gone on holiday and you forgot to tell your thermostat, you can create a holiday event for the ecobee phone app. Given that something’s not right with the machine, ecobee customer service will alert you.

Furthermore, you can control the volume of your device. Just use the app on your mobile phone to either increase or decrease the volume.

Saves Energy

The ecobee4 saves you energy! You can save approximately 23 percent of your HVAC costs annually. The device is good for the environment.

By switching to an ecobee4 smart thermostat, you’ll have a ‘smarter’ home. It is easy to install, just confirm the compatibility and connect the device to your HVAC system. You can also get certified professional installers to install it for you.

The smart thermostat is also engineered to last. Ecobee4 is hardwired; this means that it doesn’t depend on a battery or the heating/cooling system to power itself.

The Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation

Before the Nest Learning Thermostat came into the market, not many people bothered about their traditional and non-connected thermostats. The traditional thermostats seemed complicated, unappealing and annoying.

Nowadays people take an interest in their thermostats. The Nest Learning Thermostat is used by many people across the world.

Energy Efficiency

From the start, people wanted their thermostats to make things easier and change them. The Nest Learning Thermostat is a smart thermostat that helps you save energy. Statistics show that as of 2011, the Nest thermostat saved at least four billion Kilowatts of energy in multiple homes around the world.

Some studies also reported that it saved people a mean of 10 to 12 percent on heating costs and 15 percent on cooling costs.

The Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd generation is even better. This is the better move to save energy. It is slimmer, sleeker and more attractive than ever before. It has a larger and sharper display as well.

Farsight Feature

The device has a new feature called Farsight. When you step into a room, Farsight will light up and display the temperature you choose, or it will show you the time. You have an option to choose an analog or a digital clock face on the thermostat.

It’s big and bright enough that you can see it from the other end of the room.

Cunning Sensors

The 3rd generation has added temperature sensors. As a result, it is more accurate in reading the climate and learning about your behaviors. It studies how hot or cold it is, and adjusts itself as needed.

Escapes Overheating

A higher percentage of the heating and forced air systems possess an automatic shutdown feature to prevent overheating. The Nest Learning Thermostat is always alert for shutdown patterns that show a constant problem with your heating system.

If something’s wrong, each heating season the thermostat will alert you with a message on its screen and also on your smartphone.

Synchronizes with You

The 3rd generation Nest thermostat is even more advanced at learning your routine. When you wake up, you’ll have a comfortable room. When you leave to run some errands, it will shut itself off. The moment you come back to the house, you will find a comfortable climate.

Safety Shut Down

You can control the thermostat from anywhere. It keeps you cozy and saves energy at the same time. The Nest Learning Thermostat works well with other Nest products.

If the Nest Protect has sensed carbon(II)oxide or smoke, the Nest Learning Thermostat will shut down your heating system. This will prevent the smoke from spreading across the home leading to a fire and carbon monoxide leaks.

If the Nest Protect has sounded an emergency alarm or an alert, a message will appear on the thermostat to alert you to what is happening. If you set the thermostat to ‘Away,’ the Nest Cam will start to record automatically.

Wrapping up, smart thermostats have a lot of benefits. It’s the right time to switch from your Old traditional thermostat to replace with a smart thermostat.

Take a look at the video below, how you can replace an old/traditional thermostat:

Disclaimer

Some recommended products may use affiliate links. GreatSmartGadgets.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates.